White Lies, Secret Alibis
by AutumnInWonderland97
Summary: Sarah and Lorraine are in hiding on what they assumed to be an abandoned farm. When they're stumbled upon by four brothers and the woman who owns the farm, a certain soft spot for the young girls by the reporter causes her to keep the guys from throwing them out. Now they're sheltered, but when hidden secrets come out of the dark, can years of friendship withstand the blows?
1. Chapter 1

_"Nobody's gonna feel your pain when all is done, and it's time for you to walk away._  
 _So when you have today, you should say all that you have to say."_

* * *

Orange rays spilled from the saturated sunset, creating a beautiful veil over the treetops of an immense forest. Golden amber eyes watched the horizon slowly grow darker from the top story of what was assumed to be an abandoned barn. The female's legs dangled out the window, the wind gently blowing her dyed red hair around her heart shaped face. Pulling one knee to her chest, she rested her cheek against it, sighing softly.

"Are you okay?"

Sarah turned her head slightly to see her best friend, Lorraine, reaching the top of the old wooden ladder, vibrant blue-green eyes filled with concern. All the redhead could do was smirk for a moment, because she knew when the girl asked, she would be genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, why?"

She made her way across to her friend, carefully sitting down next to her, as Sarah moved over just a bit to give her room. The green dye that blended up into the dark brown of Lorraine's hair seemed more vibrant in the evening sunlight. The yellow flecks in her sea foam eyes stood out more than usual, and Sarah couldn't help but silently admire the female's ability to stay collected, regardless of everything that had happened to her. She was the strongest person she had met in her entire life, and she wasn't exactly sure what she would do without her.

"You've been up here a lot the last few days, and you haven't been talking to me. That's what you do when something's bothering you."

It was true, Sarah admitted to herself, and something was definitely bothering her, but she didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't that she didn't trust the girl next to her, because she trusted her with her life, yet she wasn't one to discuss her problems. Lorraine had problems of her own, she didn't need Sarah bringing her down by talking about hers. "I'm fine, Lorraine." she reassured with a forced grin. Judging by the annoyed look that the other girl was giving her, she knew she didn't believe the statement. "You're lying," her friend spat at her as she rose to her feet in the flash of an eye. "When the hell are you going to actually talk to me? You still have yet to tell me how you found me, what happened to you, or anything. Don't you trust me? You're my best friend, it's my job to listen to you!"

Sarah simply looked at her with a blank expression, her golden eyes holding back a thousand emotions that hit her from the words. It was true, also. Sarah should trust her enough to tell her, and she did trust her on that level, but she could never burden Lorraine with all that she wanted to know about Sarah's past. She was already broken enough as it was, and the truth would completely destroy her. She couldn't do that. She couldn't break her anymore than she already was. In a way, she felt the need to shelter her. She knew that Lori didn't need that, she was strong enough to handle almost anything, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

It was her silence that caused her friend to storm off in a huff, mumbling something under her breath, but Sarah didn't care enough to try to make it out. It was definitely one of her many insults, which she tended to get often and was very used to. Her attention returned to the sunset, only to find that the sun itself had already sunk past the horizon, the sky now mixed of dull purples, dark oranges, and navy blues. Most of the stars were already visible, and this was definitely one of the many things she enjoyed about being out in the country. In the city, the stars were hardly visible.

She remembered when she was a small child, how she would watch the stars with her brother, how he told her the stories behind each constellation. Her favorite had always been Pisces, which would be visible in a couple of months; during the fall season. The story behind the constellation was that Aphrodite and and her son, Eros, were fleeing from a Typhoon. Aphrodite jumped into a stream, pulling her son in with her, turning the both of them into fish. She then tied a string to their tails so they could swim together. Greek mythology had always caught Sarah's interest.

Leaning her back against the dusty wall of the barn, she stared at the sky, pulling both knees to her chest. She wondered how long Lori would be mad at her. Not for long, she could never stay mad at Sarah. Usually when they argued, they were fine within thirty minutes, at most. They argued a lot, yes, but simply because they both had short fuses, and certain things irritated each of them. When it came down to it though, they loved each other more than anything, and they always had each other's backs.

She remembered the evening they had stumbled upon this farm house and barn. It had been a couple of months ago, towards the end of spring. They had considered staying in the farm house, but even though the place seemed abandoned, they didn't want to take the chance, so they stuck to the barn for the time being. It wasn't winter yet, so the lack of insulation wasn't much of a concern just yet. Once the freezing temperatures hit through, their morals would have to drop just a bit to keep from freezing to death. The pair were originally from Texas, but a certain turn of events had caused them to flee up north, their travels taking them a few years months New York, where they currently resided. For whatever reason fate had lucked them with this land to hide and live. They wouldn't be used to the cold weather of winter, and wouldn't likely survive without an insulated building to live in.

They had a system there. Lorraine had a garden of fruits and vegetables, simply for the fact she loved gardening, it distracted her from her inner thoughts, and she was vegetarian. She wasn't like the vegetarians that everyone jokes about, she didn't mind that Sarah went out once every week or two to hunt for herself to get meat, she simply just went inside while Sarah dealt with skinning the animal, sorting the sections of meat and such. Sarah, however, thoroughly enjoyed her friend's grown food, it tasted better than any supermarket fruit or vegetable she had ever bought, or stolen.

Sarah had more than a few secrets from Lorraine, but one of the biggest happened to be Sarah's choice "career" as she liked to put it. Most people wouldn't consider dressing in all black, sneaking out at night, meeting with random strangers for payment to steal certain items for them a career, but Sarah knew it was all she could do. It was the one thing she was skilled at, deceit and thievery, and a real job would get her caught by a certain group of people after her.

Exhaustion washed over the female, a yawn escaping her as she slid a little farther away from the window, so she wouldn't roll out of it when she happened to fall asleep. A fall like that more than likely wouldn't kill her, but she didn't want any broken or fractured bones, especially when she couldn't go to a doctor for it. Sure, it wouldn't be the worst deal of damage she had received, yet she wasn't a fan of pain, not that kind at least. She lay down on her side, resting her cheek against one of her outstretched arms as she closed her amber eyes, the wind rustling her hair, gently soothing her into a deep sleep.

When light washed over her closed eyes, she slowly opened them, expecting to see the morning sunlight illuminating the sky. However, this was not the case, because all she could see were a pair of headlights shining through the trees. A vehicle was coming down the small dirt road that lead to the farm house, and panic seized inside the redhead as realization dawned on her, yanking her to reality from her half dazed state. She shot to her feet, scrambling away from the window to keep from being seen. She hardly made it down the ladder, jumping halfway down, ignoring the pain that began to throb in her ankles from the blunt force of the landing as her eyes scanned the dark for her friend.

She then saw her sitting on a hay bale, toying with some sticks and long blades of grass, seeming to build some sort of figurine out of boredom. "Lorraine," Sarah called out in a harsh whisper. Her blue eyes looked up at Sarah, raising an eyebrow, silently asking "what the hell is wrong with you?" Sarah was a bit out of breath from shock and the sudden fast movement from haven just woke up.

"Someone' here!"

That's all it took to get her friend moving. The only issue would be finding a place to hide for the moment, because she knew whoever it was would know someone was here. The perfectly tended to garden would be a dead give away, for one. Two, the barn was obviously lived in, and recently. Her heart raced as she glanced around, her eyes falling on a hatch in a dark corner of the floor. Must be a storage cellar of some sort. "Get in there," Sarah said simply, demanding her friend to do as she said.

"What?" Lorraine stared at her like she was stupid. "You can't just tell me what to do, I can-" Sarah's temper was extremely short at the moment, and she wasn't in the mood to deal with Lori's stubborn attitude. "Get in the fucking cellar!" She snapped, almost yelling. "Now isn't the damn time for your fucking attitude, get in the cellar unless you want to be caught!" Sarah rarely snapped at her, so this caused Lori to freeze for a second, caught off guard by the outburst. However, she shot a glare the redhead's way, warning her that she would listen for this once, but she wouldn't forget this, nor let it go. Sarah watched as the girl lifted the hatch, slowly crawling inside, coughing quietly. "It so gross down here, it smells like shit." Sarah rolled her eyes, rushing the female further in.

"Just hide. I'm going to but hay over the hatch so whoever it is can't see it. Don't come out until I come to get you." If it's morning and I'm not back, get out, and run."

"But-" Sarah didn't let her finish as she closed the hatch door, dusting loose hay over it to hide it from view. Once she was satisfied, she rose to her feet, then trying to figure out where she, herself would hide. It was at that moment that a male voice from just outside the barn caused her heart to jump in her throat.

"If there's anyone here, we'll find them, and make them leave. Simple as that."

He was talking to someone, meaning there was more than one. She took a small step back, her mind racing as she panicked. They were close to the barn door, she had to hide, now. The only place there was would be between the large bales of hay, but she would get caught at some point. It was better than standing out in the open without a plan, however. When she turned around, her eyes fell on a metal rod with a curved, pointed tip, the weapon used for poking and adjusting the wood in a camp fire. Grabbing it, she dove behind a couple of hay bales, crouching in shadows, holding her breath as she heard the barn door slowly creak open.

"Dunno dude, seems kinda rude. I mean, we could just politely ask them to go?"

There was the sound of feet shuffling against the floor, Sarah's grip tightening on the tool in her hand.

"Whoever it is, is trespassing on April's farm house, Mikey. We aren't nice to any other criminal, and we won't be nice to this one. We do our job. Understood?"

April? So whoever this April was, is who owned this land. Sarah knew a place this nice would never go unowned, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the owner came around. However, she didn't anticipate it being so soon, closer to winter maybe. She cursed herself for allowing them to get too comfortable here, because now their lives were in danger. It was her fault, she knew this, and now she was going to have to deal with the consequences to keep Lorraine safe.

The footsteps got closer, so close she could feel the vibrations through the nearby boards behind creaked. She took a small step back in her crouching position, brows furrowing, mentally preparing herself to cause a scene, to distract from her friend's location. It was right as that thought hit her that one of the men stepped into her view, confusion hitting her almost immediately.

Moonlight illuminated rough, olive green skin. Muscles that were larger than anything she had ever seen, a tan colored plastron covered in what seemed to be bamboo sticks? She narrowed her eyes to get a better look, scanning over the dark carapace that made up the back of his shell. A giant turtle? What kind of costume was this? Never in her life had anything seemed so lifelike to her. It was then the vibrant blue face mask caught her attention, and she couldn't keep from staring, wide eyed, in utter shock. At that second, he turned his head, facing exactly where she was crouched. She held her breath as bright blue eyes met amber, and for the first time in her life, she had no clue what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Stand on the bar, stomp your feet, start clapping._  
 _Got a real good feeling something bad about to happen."_

* * *

Time stood still as the two strangers stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, seconds ticking, the air so thick it could have been sliced with a butter knife. While she was holding her breath, Leonardo was breathing slow and calm, as usual for his controlled personality. When he had stepped inside the barn to look for the trespasser, he expected to find an older homeless man, or a group of them, but this girl? She was small. It was hard to tell her height since she was currently crouching, but he could already tell she was barely above five feet. Her eyes were large and round like a frightened kitten, the moonlight making them a glowing color mixed between gold and silver. How was he going to handle this? Grown men he would feel no remorse for kicking out, but a girl, who was maybe fifteen or less?

It was as these thoughts his him that he noticed a major shift in her expression. He only got a glimpse of it for a second, but the frightened kitten molded into a venomous snake, ready to strike to defend itself. His eyes widened for just a fraction of a second as she launched herself forward with blinding speed, the piece of metal tight in her grip as she swung it around, aiming for his head. He action was so fast and unexpected that the turtle hardly had time to grab the rod before it broke open his skull, but he easily managed. He expected for her to aim for his head if she were to attack, but what he didn't expect was the evil smirk that lit up her expression when he stopped said attack. Her feet were now pressed against his plastron and she hovered above him, still holding the rod as he held it. She had leaped forward, and he had no clue where she was going with this. But one thing was obvious to him.

This was no frightened kitten.

In that second she twisted her body, kicking off his chest and flipping herself over him gracefully, her feet then colliding with the carapace of his shell at full force, causing him to loose his balance for a moment. He didn't fall, but the off balance gave her time to plan another assault. He knew that's why she had done it. There was no way a girl her size could bring him down by sheer force. She was definitely full of surprises, but so was he. What she didn't count on when she began to aim for the back of his knees, were for the turtle to spin around to face her, unsheathing his katanas and pointing one of them directly at her. She froze in place, almost immediately throwing her hands up in surrender. However, the icy glare never left her expression. If looks could kill, he would definitely be dead, or at least in a coma.

She took a small step backwards, seeming to forget his younger brother was in the barn with them as well. All Leonardo had to do was look at Michelangelo, and the younger turtle rose to his feet from the hay bale he had been sitting on, watching the whole spectacle. He walked up behind her, casually placing a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, dudette. Something tells me Leo isn't exactly in a friendly mood tonight."

The leader rolled his eyes, not surprised by Mikey's antics, but still as annoyed as ever. He rarely took anything seriously, and although Leonardo had gotten used to it, it still didn't bother him any less. "Mikey," he hissed through grit teeth. Two pairs of blue eyes met each other, a moment of understanding passing between them. It was then that the orange clad turtle wrapped his muscular arms around the girl from behind, holding her securely in place. Alarm lit up her expression, and she began to struggle in his grip as Leonardo began to step towards them, the tip of his katana pointed at her chest.

"Are you alone? Or is there any other trespassers we should know about?" He said this with malice, trying to intimidate her into telling him. Never in his life had he met such a spitfire personality, ready to fight any and everyone that came near her. When he spoke to her, her eyes shot in his direction, and he could see by the look of alarm that the answer was no, however, that wasn't he answer he received.

"Yes," she said quickly, a little too quick. "You got me. I'm what you wanted. So fuck off." Too quick to want to leave, another sign she was trying to hide someone. As angry as he wanted to be with her for lying, as he looked into her eyes, a moment of understanding hit him. If he and his brothers were in a similar situation, he would do the same thing to keep them safe. However, he still needed to know where everyone was. "The truth," he said simply, narrowing his eyes a bit, trying to ease her into telling him.

"Fuck you," she spat the words, venom dripping from them. It was then he decided he was done playing around, letting out a loud whistle that echoed through the early morning hours. Her eyes widened, and she began to try to look around, but Mikey had a tight grip on her, and she hardly noticed Raphael and Donatello entering the barn, knowing April wouldn't be far behind them. Leonardo glanced up at the other two brothers, gesturing to the entirety of the barn. "There's someone else here," he said simply, his eyes falling back to the girl, his eyes now as hard and icy as hers as he said two words that caused her blood to run cold. " _Find_ them."

" _No!_ "

Her screamed bounced off the walls, causing all of them to flinch just at the shrill sound. She really began to struggle then, her legs flying, trying to yank at least one of her arms free. Her red hair was being whipped around as she yelled over and over, telling them to stop, how she was going to kill them, hurt them, how they needed to leave her alone, etc. It was obvious now more than ever that she was trying to protect someone, but who?

"Leave her alone!"

A different feminine voice rang clear above the mess that was currently going on. All eyes fell on another girl, this one much different than the one in front of him. She was taller, not by that much, maybe two or three inches. Instead of red hair she had brown that faded into a deep emerald color. She glared at everyone her fists clenched at her sides, as if ready to knock anyone out that came near her.

"We're the only ones, now fucking let her go you ugly ass ogre!"

The words obviously hit Mikey right in the heart, his expression falling for a second, the moment of weakness giving the redhead exactly what she wanted. The shoved her foot on top of his, causing him to yelp and reach down for the injured body part, that split second of letting her go giving her the opportunity to leap away from him and towards her friend, now standing in front of her in a defensive stance, eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you doing?" The taller one asked.

"I told you to stay hidden," the redhead snapped. "I did until I heard you yelling, I got worried!"

"All the more reason to stay _hidden_ like I told you to!"

"You aren't my damn mother, you can't tell me what to do."

"Lorraine, this _isn't_ the time!"

"No, this is the perfect time! I'm fucking _sick_ of you acting like I can't take care of myself!"

The redhead rolled her eyes, and in that moment, Leonardo couldn't help but realize the situation was all too familiar. Him and Raphael had similar arguments throughout the period of their growing up, and even sometimes to this day. Before he could think longer on the subject, said brother spoke up from beside him as he walked over.

"What're we gonna do about em, Leo?"

The leader stared at the two girls, his mind turning with options. What would they do? This definitely wasn't what he expected, nor mentally prepared himself for. It was moments like this that he wished Splinter were here, but their father had stayed in New York to have some relaxation without the boys around, while they went on a vacation with April and Casey to April's farmhouse. After beating Krang and his Technodrome, saving the entire world, and Shredder disappearing into dimension X with Krang, April said they deserved it. The city was safe aside from petty crime for the time being, and Donnie had left Splinter with some sort of phone to contact them in case that happened to change before they got back. They were only a few hours out from the city, so a return home could happen before anything got too bad.

"Hold up, what's going on?"

April's voice reached them as she entered the barn, seeing the two girls ready to defend themselves, and Leonardo with his weapons out. The reality of the situation hit her, and she gave a disbelieving look to Leonardo.

"Leo, you'd seriously attack two unarmed, young girls with your swords? Really?"

"What? But she-" He pointed towards the redhead, ready to defend his pride, but knew how bad the situation looked. Groaning, he rolled his eyes and sheathed his katanas, not in the mood to argue with anyone at the moment. This was supposed to be a vacation, and on top of Mikey singing every damn song that came on the radio, now they were having to deal with this. What kind of vacation was that?

April glanced between everyone, before carefully stepping towards the girls, a confused yet curious look on her face. "How old are you?" She asked them, holding out her hands a bit to show she was unarmed, and had no intentions of attacking or hurting them. The redhead glanced back at her friend, then back to April, as if debating on if she should even answer. In the end, she must have decided that their age wouldn't put them in any danger, because she answered her.

"We just turned seventeen," she answered dryly.

April paused for a moment, realizing they were only teenagers, although it hadn't been hard to tell. "Where are your parents?" She asked, realizing they might be dealing with runaways that might need to be turned over to the authorities.

"Dead."

The air in the room seemed to get heavy in that second, and all of them held their breath as the heavy reality to the situation hit them. They weren't dealing with runaways. They were dealing with _orphans_. They all began to glance between each other, silently asking what the hell they were supposed to do about this. Leonardo couldn't make a decision in this, simply because it was April's farm house they had been trespassing on for the past however long they had been here. This seemed to dawn on April when all four brother's turned to look at her as she looked at the girl's, the expression she held showing she was internally debating on how exactly to handle this. "You guys work on that garden out there, right?"

The question caught everyone off guard, because it had nothing to do with the subject at hand. The redhead seemed a little confused by the subject change, but she answered anyway. "Lorraine does." So that was the brunette with green hair's name. Lorraine. Leonardo couldn't help but wonder what the redhead's name was, but found it inappropriate to ask at this second. "What do you do?" April asked carefully, trying not to set the girl off. "I hunt."

It was apparent the pair had a system of survival, and it worked for them. Leonardo was a bit impressed, most people, especially teenage girls, needed more than that to "live" comfortably. "Okay.. I'll make you a deal." Everyone's attention was then glued to April, who continued to look at the two girls, as if pretending the brothers weren't there. "You can stay here, in the actual house up there too, on two conditions. One, you guys continue to garden and hunt so we can make less trips for groceries, and two, you can't tell anyone about them. Anyone."

Thoughts must have been turning in the girl's heads, because they looked at each other, their demeanor's seeming to relax the more they thought about it. A place to stay with AC, heating, showers, and all they had to do in return was keep a secret, and continue to do what they've been doing? "Okay," the redhead said, turning to look at all of them. "We just have one question.."

"What _are_ they?"


	3. Chapter 3

_"I've lost my fuckin' mind, it happens all the time._

 _I can't stand myself. I'm an asshole, baby."_

* * *

The question seemed to cause a tension between the inhuman strangers, as if the question had been asked before, the answer never being what the asker wants to hear. Sarah wasn't sure what to expect, but she knew she could handle it. They _obviously_ weren't human, so whatever it may be, aliens, monsters, whatever, it would be expected. The offer to stay was overwhelmingly perfect, but she wanted to know exactly who and _what_ she would be in the same building with. She had seen a lot of things in her life, fucked up things at that. However, she had never seen anything like them. They were like something she would see out of a Sci-Fi movie. And why the hell did they have weapons? Sure, she had weapons too, but they were put up, and Lorraine simply thought she used them to hunt with.

"That's.. kinda of a long story," the one with the purple bandanna said in an unsure tone. "Why don't we go inside to talk about it?"

"So basically, you're mutants?" Lorraine asked, a cup of freshly brewed tea in her palms. She loved her tea, and Sarah couldn't remember the last time her friend had gotten any. Leonardo, as she had learned his name and everyone else's, had made it for her and himself, them seeming to be the only two who liked tea in the group of eight. Four humans, four turtles. Sarah couldn't help but wonder if Casey and April were a thing, because of some looks they would shoot each other's way, but told herself it wasn't any of her business.

"Basically. We're like the X-Men, yo," Michelangelo said with a goofy grin, winking at the two of them. "Minus the ultra bad-ass super powers. But we're still pretty bad-ass, if I do say so myself." He put a three fingered hand to his chest where she assumed his heart would be, as if trying to make the statement seem all the more sincere. Lorraine chuckled from Sarah's left, and even since the conversation and story had started, the redhead hadn't said a word. She simply needed a moment to process what she had heard. Yes, she had heard about The Foot and Shredder a few months ago, but they must have been on the farm when the Krang thing came through that portal they mentioned. With no contact with the outside world, there was no way they would have known about it.

She was sitting in front of the fire place, staring into the sparkling embers, trying to ease her mind from everything that had happened the last half hour. Lorraine sat to her left, facing the group. Donatello and Michelangelo were sitting on the couch, Casey sat in the recliner as April sat on the arm rest of it. Raphael was leaned against the wall, messing with what Sarah thought was a sai, but her weapon vocabulary was a tad rusty. Leonardo stood behind the couch, arms crossed over his chest, as if observing how everyone reacted with each other.

Sarah's golden eyes finally turned away from the fire and to everyone else, her expression near blank as she replayed everything that was just explained to them. She looked between all four of them, letting the reality slowly sink in. They didn't _look_ like brothers, the only similarity they had physically being that they were all turtles. The masks were also similar, but the vast differences in color stuck out like a sore thumb, but she supposed was the point.

"Can you stop staring at us like we're a bunch of fuckin' freaks?"

Sarah's attention then turned to the red masked brother, this being the first time he had spoke since she had met them all. In fact, he was the only one who had remained silent through everything, and she would soon come to find out that almost never happened.

"I'm sorry," she began, her voice icy calm, her vibrant gold eyes boring into him. "I didn't realizing observing with simply curiosity and interest was 'staring at you like you're a bunch of freaks.' To put it simply, you are freaks, since 'freak' means something unusual. Whether it be a good or bad thing, depends on how you carry that fact." Rising to her feet, she began to pop her fingers, something she did when her nerves were getting poked, still staring at the male, who was obviously caught off guard by her reply. "Next time, try not to make assumptions. Just ask. You'll make less of an ass out of yourself doing so." She then walked past everyone and out the front door, just as the sun was starting to rise.

It felt exquisite outside, possibly in the low sixties, she would guess. Summer was coming to a near end, but not quite yet. There was still about half a month or a little more before the first cold fronts of fall would hit. When that happened, she wasn't sure what Lorraine would do about her garden. Almost all of those plants couldn't not survive a harsh winter, if any of them. Sarah could still hunt for herself, yes, but with her companion being a vegetarian, it seemed Sarah would have to make weekly trips to the closest supermarket. Which happened to be miles away from where they were, and neither of them had a vehicle at the moment.

Her feet began to carry her towards the barn, because they seemed to know exactly where she wanted to be at the moment more so than her own mind. It wasn't long before she was ascending up the ladder, and shifting to her spot at the opening where she had fallen asleep earlier that night. She let her legs dangle over the edge, her palms holding onto the edge as she leaned forward a bit. She didn't trust any of them. Yes, her and Lorraine had agreed to keep those turtles guys a secret, but nothing was ever said about not mentioning the pair of them. And of course she couldn't request this without raising suspicion from the group, along with questions she would be unwilling to answer. It was best to just hope they didn't say anything, however, she still knew nothing about them other than their names and what they were.

Could she be willing to put her and her friend's life at risk simply for a place to stay? They had traveled homeless this long, couldn't they continue to do so? Yet her mind continued to wander back to when she was still inside, how Lorraine held conversation, joked around with the two humans and the one she vaguely remembered being called Mikey. She seemed to relaxed, happy even. Could she take that away from her due to her own fears? What was more important, their safety from people she wasn't even sure were a threat or not, or Lorraine's happiness? Sarah wasn't one to make friends, so she wasn't concerned with getting attached. Lorraine, on the other hand, already seemed comfortable around them.

"You didn't have to storm off like that."

Lorraine's voice sounded from behind her, causing Sarah to glance back at her friend as she brushed herself off from the collected dust that still seemed to linger on the ladder. "I didn't?" Sarah challenged with a raised eyebrow. "He jumped to a conclusion that I was judging them, which is utterly rude and uncalled for." With a roll of her eyes, an annoyed expression crossed Lorraine's face.

"Okay, no he shouldn't have done that. But think about it from their perspective. I highly doubt people see them and just accept it. Hell, they probably run and scream first. Which I probably would have done myself, but I was too worried about you. You probably would have too, but you're too damn stubborn to run. Even when you're scared."

"I don't get scared."

"See? That's _exactly_ what I mean."

It was Sarah's turn to roll her eyes, annoyed that she was bringing up an irrelevant topic to the conversation.

"All I'm saying is give them a chance," Lorraine snapped. "They didn't do anything wrong. Hell, apparently _you're_ the one who attacked _Leo_. So I think that makes you the bad guy here. We're lucky as hell they trust us enough to let us stay here. We could at least show a little trust in return."

Sarah turned her head once again, another eyebrow being raised. "You're using their nicknames already? And what if one of those two, April and Casey? What if one of them _mentions_ us to someone? What if that someone works for _him_?" _Or the government_ , Sarah thought to herself.

"So we tell them not to talk about us," Lorraine countered, matter-of-factly.

"Oh, and then get bombarded with questions as to why we need to remain a secret? No thanks." Her tone was beyond annoyed, and that was Lorraine's breaking point.

" _Don't_ talk to me like I'm stupid!" She practically yelled. "You _know_ I hate that shit. But fine, stay up here and be alone like you always do, telling me nothing's wrong when something is obviously bothering you! Be alone when there's plenty of people in there to make friends with!"

"Friends?" Sarah snapped. "People? They're fucking turtles, Lorraine. They aren't people. They're mutants, as they told you."

Lorraine's fists clenched at her sides, her face becoming flushed, like it always did when she was angry. "They may be mutants, but they act more human than you ever have."

 _Ouch._

With that, the brunette turned and left the redhead to be alone with her thoughts, just as she said she would. Yes, Lorraine had points, but how can she expect Sarah to just trust these creatures with open arms, like there was no risk in this? Why couldn't she see she was just trying to keep her safe?

Sarah didn't go back inside until almost noon, and luckily for her every one seemed to be asleep. She had no clue where Lorraine was, but she didn't feel like snooping through the house to find her. She simply made her way to the couch, where the few bags the girls owned were still placed. One of Lorraine's was open, and she could see a red book sticking out. She knew exactly what it was, and she couldn't resist the urge to pull the book out, setting it in her lap gently, carefully opening the cover and flipping through the pages at a slow pace. It was Lorraine's sketchbook. Some of the drawings were old, some new. The brunette always hated her art, finding the smallest flaws and then that would be all she could see in the picture. Sarah, however, adored the artwork. The sketches went from one extreme to the other. Some people as simple and elegant as a flower, or hands, to being more twisted, like a zombie, or a clown from some horror show that the female used to watch.

"Heard about the argument you two had."

Sarah jumped so quick at the voice behind her that she dropped the book onto the floor, her instincts kicking in instantly as she scrambled it pick it up. Making sure there wasn't a single scuff, bend, or rip on any of the pages, she shoved the book back into the bag before whirling around, facing the turtle known as Leonardo.

"Can you not fucking do that? You almost gave me a heart attack." How did someone so big and bulky move so silently? "And you did? What did she say?"

The blue masked terrapin chuckled softly at her first remark, then shrugged his shoulders at the second part, leaning against the kitchen doorway frame, crossing his arms. "She came in obviously upset, Mikey asked what happen. She told us."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

"What did she say was said?"

"Well what was said between you two?"

Sarah shut her mouth. There were parts of that conversation she wanted to leave out, but in case Lorraine did mention those parts, she didn't want to be known as liar to someone she had just met.

"Look, I don't blame you for what you said about us," he began, putting up both of his three fingered hands. "We aren't human, that much is pretty obvious. I just wanted to tell you I understand where you're coming from."

"Huh?" This, Sarah was not expecting. He should be verbally attacking her for the highly inappropriate things she had said about them. But here he was, saying he understood.

"Yes," he began. "You're wary of us, not because of what we are, but because you don't know us. You want to protect her, even thought she convinced she doesn't need to be protected, and that consequences of her actions can be dealt with later. I deal with the same exactly thing with Raphael, the one you bit at just before you left. He's the same way. I'm in your boat, trying to constantly protect them, when they don't think they need it. And honestly, they probably don't need it, but that won't stop me from constantly worrying. Take this from someone who's just as protective over his family as you are yours- we are no threat to either of you, so long as you remain the same to us."

Sarah simply blinked at him, not completely sure how to take what he had just said to her.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm off to get some sleep. From what April said, the only room left is on the second story, all the way down the main hall to the right. There's already a bed in there."

With that, he was gone, his footsteps not making a single sound. _How do they do that?_ Sarah mentally mapped out the directions he had given her, rising to her feet as she made her way to the stairs with her bags. Sighing, she made the trip up stairs, down the hall, and to the room on the right. Opening the door, she found the inside decor being a light shade of lavender, eggshell colored ivy and vines painted all over. Not exactly her taste, but she wasn't in any room to be picky. If she hadn't stormed off like she had, she might have a different room, so it was her own fault. The bed was a queen, and she simply tossed her bag down in the corner as she entered the room, shutting the door behind her. She had only gotten an hour of sleep that night, so she was still exhausted.

Plopping down on the bed, sleep overtook her in less than a minute. It was the first time she had slept on an actual bed in years, and her body highly appreciated the agreement she had made just hours before.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey guys, author here! We're already on chapter four, which is great! But I would like to state a couple of things first before we continue with the story. First of all, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for reading this. If you've made it this far already, I'll take that as a token of you liking it so far. I have a full time job, so I have to take my time writing and such. However, I do enjoy writing. I've been a fan of the ninja turtles since I was a little girl, the 2003 series being the one that got me hooked. Secondly, I would really love some reviews! Those are the very thing that keep me going with my writing, and so far I have none. It's very hard to write to an empty audience, so please give me your feedback. I also reply to ALL private messages within 24 hours, so feel free to message me if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or would just like to chat. Sorry to keep you waiting, that's all for now._

* * *

 _"I'm scared to get close and I hate being alone. I long for that feeling to not feel at all._  
 _The higher I get, the lower I'll sink. I can't drown my demons, they know how to swim."_

* * *

Sarah's amber eyes didn't open until well after the sun had drifted below the horizon. The exact time was unknown to her, but when she woke up surrounded in complete darkness, she _panicked_.

It wasn't something she was willing to admit to anyone, but she had an not so fond phobia of the dark. Not just any dark, but the kind where no light reached, your surroundings unknown to you, danger seeming to lurk around every step. Lorraine knew about this fear simply from past happenings where Sarah had ended up in the dark and freaked out, but the subject was never discussed. "Why's" were never brought up, because somehow Lorraine could see by the pure terror that overtook Sarah's expression each and every time, that this was no normal phobia. It was a borderline PTSD attack from she not know what, but wouldn't dare to ask. If Sarah decided to tell her, that was one thing, but she would never ask her to recall such disturbed memories.

She tried to scream at first as the cold pain of panic tightened in her chest where her heart would be, but no sound came out. She tried to shove the covers off of herself so fast that she ended up getting herself more ensnared in their cotton grasp, rolling off the bed and hitting the floor with a loud thud. Her mind tricked her, convincing her they were arms and hands of strange men, trying to hold her down, to keep her from fighting back or attempting to escape. With every millisecond that passed, her fear only grew. Finally a scream with sound came out, sounding more like a shriek from a small child than anything. Unbeknownst to her, the sound echoed through the house, for all inside to hear. She managed to escape the confines of the sheets, allowing her to scramble to her feet, her hands immediately flying out in front of her to feel for a wall, to find a light switch, a door, a window.. anything.

She found the door before the light switch, her shaking and sweaty palms holding the doorknob, almost losing her grip as she turned the old piece of metal, yanking the door open, only to be greeted by a tall, dark figure, causing her attack to simply worsen.

* * *

The evening had been relatively quiet, aside from the constant talking and joking of Lorraine and Mikey. Raphael was ready to snap both of their necks, figuratively, but before his temper could blow, Leonardo had suggested everyone go outside for some fresh air, and light training to keep them on their toes. For once, the hothead didn't take up the offer of training. For the time being, he wanted to be as far away from his youngest brother and his new chatty companion, even if that meant simply sitting inside to watch some old movies. After everyone had left out of the front door, he put in a random movie from what they brought with them, not even caring what it was. He planted himself down on the couch, picking up the remote to turn the TV on, and press play.

Not even ten minutes into the movie, there was a thud from the ceiling above him. Wasn't everyone outside? "The hell?" Raphael glanced upwards, narrowing his eyes a bit as he tried to make sense of the sound, but before he could even begin to, a screech sounded through the walls. It was at that second he realized that the redhead, that Lorraine had called Sarah, hadn't gotten up from her slumber yet. Instinct kicked in, and he was on his feet, flying up the stairs before he even realized what was happening. He couldn't remember which room was hers, but he knew it was one of the ones at the end of the second story hallway. By the time he got to the end of the hall, he could hear the sound of a doorknob rattling to the left. Turning, he started to reach for the object when the door flew open, revealing a sight that was, the best way to put it... unnerving.

This wasn't the quick tempered redhead he had met the night before. Where before her eyes, which he decided were the oddest yet brightest shade of amber he had ever seen, were filled with a look he could compare to a tiger about to pounce, now she looked entirely different. Those wild eyes he had first seen where now wide as humanly possible, her pupils the size of a pen head. They were filled with a level of terror he had not seen in years, if ever. She was shaking, her curly red hair sticking up in random directions from a fight with the blankets that he was unaware of. She seemed to stare right through him, and never in his life had he felt so uncomfortable.

"What happened?" He asked bluntly. There was no other way around the question.

She took a small step back, her panic seeming to only worsen when he spoke. He was unaware that his relatively unfamiliar male voice was not helping matters whatsoever, but all he really wanted to do was figure out what the hell was going on, and fix it.

"Get away from me!" She screamed as footsteps sounded from down the hallway. His brothers must have heard the scream as well, because here came old fearless himself, followed by Donatello, and then Michelangelo.

"The hell are you doing, Raph?" Leonardo snapped at him, giving him a look that said he was in deep shit if he didn't have a good explanation.

"I dunno, I was watchin' a damn movie and she screamed, so I came up here to see what the fuck was going on, and she just stares at me like that and told me to get away." He then glared at her, somewhat hurt by what she had said. He was always the most sensitive about their appearance and origin, comments such as those locking away in his mind, haunting him. He would never admit this though, but he was sure his brothers already had a hint.

"I'm not going to do it!" The redhead screamed out of no where at them as she backed up further into the dark bedroom, everyone's attention returning to her. "You can't make me!" There was silence for a second, before Donatello finally spoke up, causing more questions to rise in Raphael's mind.

"I think she's having a panic attack of some sort."

The words came out barely above a whisper from the brainy brother. "She doesn't know where she is," he explained softly to the three of them. "She thinks she's somewhere else, somewhere she's been before. We have to snap her out of it." He then stepped forward, past the two eldest brothers. He was careful not to move too fast, as not to startle her, but even that didn't seem to work.

"Don't touch me!" Her voice was shaking at this point, almost as much as her hands. She seemed paler than usual, and he then noticed the wild, terrified look in her eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Donatello replied softly as he reached for the light switch, flipping it on.

* * *

Sarah hadn't said a word in the last few hours since the incident, locking herself away from everyone else in the barn. She picked at the peeling red paint, revealing the old wooden boards that had been used to construct the building. She felt embarrassed, exposed, violated.. She barely knew them and they already knew about her phobia. What were the odds? Of course it came from waking up in a dark, unfamiliar room. She had fallen asleep around noon, having no idea she would actually sleep that long. She usually woke up after a few hours, so this was very much out of the ordinary for her.

She didn't remember what happened. All she remembered was the colors of purple and green blurring together, before her vision cleared, revealing a very concerned looking Donatello.

She knew she couldn't hold up in here forever, because Lorraine would come looking for her after she figured she had enough alone time, and that would only be followed by questions she wasn't ready to answer. So she made the short trek back to the farm house, silently hoping no one would be in the living room. Unlucky for her, _everyone_ was in the living room, having some sort of movie night. They were all talking, joking around, discussing what she assumed to be plot guesses about the movie. However, the second she stepped inside, the room went awkwardly silent. They tried not to stare at her, but most of them couldn't help it. The only one who didn't was Raphael, who had his arms crossed and seemed to be stubbornly staring at the TV screen, making it a point not to look at her. Never in her life did she want to sink into the floor so much, to disappear from existence. The longer they looked, the more agitated she began, until she finally snapped.

"Quit staring at me like I'm a fucking freak."

Everyone looked away, trying too hard to pretend like she wasn't there by just staring blankly at the TV screen.

"Boy, ain't that the pot callin' the kettle black.."

Her gaze drifted over to the red masked turtle, no sound but an annoyed snort escaping her. "Fuck off," she muttered, walking past all of them as she made her way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she took out a bottle of water, twisting the cap off and bringing the rim to her lips to drink. Staring out the window to the tree line, she tried to make sense of everything that was happening. She wasn't one to make friends, or get attached, especially with the lifestyle she lived. She knew she would end up leaving soon, she couldn't stay. If Lorraine got attached, as she already seemed to be, and wanted to stay, Sarah wouldn't stop her.

"You gonna explain what the hell all that was about?"

She turned around, finding that Raphael was in the doorway. He stepped inside, shutting it behind him as he crossed his arms, leaning the back of his shell against the wall as he eyed her carefully. "Explain what?" She asked coolly, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. She got a scoff in return from him, causing her eyes to narrow a bit just before he spoke.

"I dunno, that damn yellin' you did. Staring at me like I'm gonna kill ya, telling me to get away? I was just tryna make sure you were okay, but you yelled at me like I was some.." He didn't even finish the statement. Sarah didn't remember anything of what happened, but she believed that actually happened. She was quiet for a moment, trying to mentally assess the situation at hand.

"I'm sorry," she began, refusing to look at him. "If it helps, I can assure you I wasn't directing those words at you. When I get like that, I think I'm talking to someone else."

Silence followed what she said, and all she could do was sigh. No, she didn't mean to say those things to him, but it was also hard to feel too terribly guilty since she didn't even remember saying it, and the fact it was meant for someone else. She eventually turned, walking past him and out of the kitchen. She decided that maybe watching the movie with everyone was the best way to distract herself from all that had happened, planting herself on the floor next to Lorraine, not looking her way as she noticed her glance at her through the corner of her eye. She had no idea what movie was on, but it looked like some uninteresting Sci-Fi flick. Regardless of how stupid the movie looked, she paid attention to it like it was the best thing she had watched to date.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry the chapter is kind of short, I was just excited to get this bit up! Next one will be a bit longer. Leave some reviews?_


	5. Chapter 5

_"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home._  
 _I'll spend forever wondering if you knew, I was enchanted to meet you.."_

* * *

Sarah was unsure just how long the movie lasted, but she felt inhumanly grateful once it finally did. She wasn't much into Sci-Fi movies, finding more joy in horror and action movies, as well as a secret love for animated movies. Her golden gaze carefully drifted over the others that were still in the room, which happened to be everyone except for Casey and April. They had turned in for the night shortly after Sarah had returned to the living room to watch the movie with the group. She wasn't completely convinced the pair were as "tired" as they claimed, but it was none of her concern what they did in their spare time, so she didn't bother to overthink it.

"Man, I _love_ that one," Mikey stated, awe in his tone.

"You say that about every movie, Mikey," the purple masked brother countered. The orange brother beamed at this, crossing his arms over his chest as he puffed it out with pride.

"Because I love almost every movie."

"Even Mean Girls?"

"Yes! Wait- no. No! That one's too girly!"

"Then why did I find that the movie was downloaded onto my computer and played twice in a row while I was asleep?"

"What?! No way, that was Raph!"

"Sorry, but the hell did ya just say?"

Sarah rolled her eyes at the bickering, while Lorraine couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous they all sounded. The green haired girl must have realized that Sarah wasn't laughing, because while all four brothers were paying attention to themselves, she glanced over to the redhead, leaning in close so she could whisper without being heard.

"Are you okay?"

Sarah turned to look at her, shaking off any emotions she might still feel from that night's incident. "What? Yes, of course."

Lorraine didn't believe her. "Are you sure? I know you're scared of the dark, do you want me to sleep with you tonight?"

"No," Sarah replied flatly, not wanting to show any sign of dependency, especially since she planned to leave sometime soon.

"Look, whatever happened that made you like this, if you want to talk about it, I'm-"

"I said I'm fine!" Sarah cut her off sharply. She hated to snap at her like this, but she was in no mood to discuss her past. Not now, not ever. Her snapping must have caught the guy's attention, because they all went quiet, slowly glancing her way. Mikey was the first to speak, as usual.

"Uh.. You wanna go chill upstairs, Lori?"

Sarah expected the girl to deny the offer, staying there with her like she usually did.

"Yes."

It was that word that caused Sarah's stomach to sink, her eyes drifting back to her friend. It was then she saw the hurt in her eyes. All she had been trying to do was make sure Sarah was okay, and she got snapped at in front of everyone for it. Of course Sarah hadn't meant to react that way, but at the same time, Lorraine didn't understand _why_ she was reacting that way. It was after that statement that Michelangelo and Lorraine left the room, leaving Sarah in a confused and emotionally hurt heap. Everything had started to go so sour once they showed up..

"Well, I have a few things to work on for the night.." The awkward words left Donatello, before he turned and walked down the first story hallway, disappearing into whatever bedroom happened to be his. This left only Leonardo and Raphael, and of course the blue clad turtle was the first to speak.

"Donnie's got the right idea. I'm going to attempt to meditate for the night. I'll see the both of you in the morning."

Why? Why was everyone leaving because of her? Sarah had always wanted to be left alone, but now that it wasn't on her own accord, she didn't _want_ to be alone. Everything was spiraling out of her control so fast, and she couldn't stand it. Of course she got left with the hotheaded one, as if two short tempered beings being left alone wouldn't cause a problem. All the redhead could do was scoff, rolling her eyes as she attempted to make sense of the mess she had created. Silence still lingered in the room, and she began to wonder why the last brother hadn't scurried off like everyone else had. Her curious gaze carefully shifted over to his figure, finding him still sitting on the couch, staring out the window, looking up at the moon.

 _Just give them a chance!_

Lorraine's words repeated in her mind, silently urging her on to at least attempt to be social. But even if she wanted to, how would she? As a small child she was very social, yes. She could make friends with almost anyone she wanted, but things were different now. She hardly trusted anyone, there were even times she would have to catch herself because she would start to waver her trust for Lorraine. She would have to violently remind herself that the female had never done anything to make her question her loyalty, and did not deserve that sort of questioning. But what was she supposed to do about these new invaders in their situated life? They had it figured out. Just the two of them to trust. Now there were six new additions to their lives, even if it were only temporary, and Sarah already had a deep gut feeling that in the end, she would end up leaving Lorraine with them to once again be alone.

So could she in fact give them a chance? She considered humoring Lorraine, actually attempting to give them a chance. However, whenever she gave someone the benefit of the doubt, doubt would usually win. Yet it was only temporary, and she continued to remind herself of this. Making friends with them would be easier than continuing this tense level of awkwardness.

"So, do they always run off like that, or is it because of me?" The question left her mouth without her realizing, catching her and Raphael both by the same level of surprise. She watched his green gaze fall on her, confusion and what seemed to be a hint of annoyance clouding his visage.

"Just you," he said bluntly.

It hurt, although she would never admit it. She never meant to make anyone feel awkward, or whatever it was they had felt. She was simply the worst at expressing her emotions, thoughts, and communication in general. This was going to be a helluva lot harder than she originally thought.

"What did I do?"

He actually had to pause to think on this one, but only for a second or two. From what she gathered, he didn't seem the type to contemplate about anything for too long. "You make them feel like you don't want them around," he said this simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do I make you feel that way?" He hadn't said the word us, so was it possible she hadn't gotten off that bad to start off with, with this one?

"Yes."

So there it was, she was definitely as bad at socializing as she remembered. Sighing, her hand reached up to rub the back of her neck, which suddenly felt hot with embarrassment at what she was about to say. "I'm sorry," she began, her voice holding a softness to it that they hadn't heard yet. "I'm horrible at meeting new people. I can't socialize properly, I just usually end up pissing whoever it is off. Even Lorraine. I don't know how she deals with it." What she said was true. She did usually end up pissing everyone off, and she honestly had no idea how she even managed to do it. She would be telling any of them this if they hadn't left, but the only one that hadn't scurried away was Raphael, for whatever reason.

"I can relate to that," he replied with a hearty chuckle.

She made him laugh? That was a first. She hadn't made anyone laugh in years. She refused to physically show it, but her entire demeanor lit up on the inside. Whatever it was she had made him feel, he obviously didn't hate her, and that was a step up.

"I want to show you something."

Before he could reply, she rose to her feet, immediately heading for the front door. She opened it, letting the bright moonlight wash over her figure, making her already pale skin look milky white. She stepped out into the night, making her way to the barn. She might think that the turtles had been here before, but by the way they observed everything, taking in their surroundings, she knew that wasn't the case. Someone that would be familiar with a place wouldn't flinch at every small noise, nor look around every corner the first time, as if checking to make sure no one or nothing were there to harm them. That's how Sarah acted the first month here, until she finally relaxed at the fact they were indeed alone.

Or were.

She was in such a rush to get out of the house that she hadn't even bothered to see if he had even decided to actually follow her. Embarrassment began to heat up her cheeks, because how stupid would she look if he just rolled his eyes and drifted up to his bedroom? She decided to casually glance behind her to be sure, and to her relief, she saw the bulky creature about ten feet behind her, hands in the pockets of his pants and huffing under his breath. Smirking to herself, she returned her attention back to the barn, not wanting to be too obvious in her curiosity. She didn't want it to look like she actually cared if he followed or not. She shouldn't, should she? No, she definitely didn't care.

* * *

 _What the hell is this little wretch making me follow her for?_

The truth was, Raphael was still fuming about what she said to him earlier that night. Yes, her and Donnie had both explained to him that she wasn't even talking to him, but the fact remains, she still said it. Still, his mind replayed the distant yet terrified look in her eyes. Deep inside him he knew she didn't direct those words at him, but his pride continued to fuel his anger, refusing to allow him to be on good terms with the redhead. So why was he following her at her request, exactly? Curiosity. He wanted to know what exactly it was she wanted to show him so badly that she practically jumped up, flying out of the house without even seeing if he followed. He assumed she thought she was slick, glancing back at him, like he wouldn't know why, but he caught it.

When she turned away to smirk to herself, he was smirking as well. It was relatively amusing how she thought he wouldn't notice. She would soon come to notice they all noticed way more than her nor her friend could ever guess. They were ninjas, after all. It was part of their job to notice every part of their surroundings. They couldn't afford to miss even the slightest detail. For example, he took immediate notice to the fact that when everyone left the room, it upset her, or seemed to. She was odd, he noticed. One second she was trying to come across as entirely emotionless, and in those moments, she put the act up so well that even Raphael questioned if she could feel anything. Then there were moments like earlier where she let her emotions slip, if only slightly, that it caused Raphael to wonder what the girl was _really_ like when she wasn't forcing herself to be a certain way.

They were heading to the Barn, and the turtle couldn't help but wonder just what it was she was going to show him in there. He had stepped foot in there the other night when they were discovered, but it had only been for a moment, and his attention was focused on the two strangers, not the details of the old building. He watched as her small body pulled open the large doors to the barn, and it was at that moment that Raphael realized her 5'2 frame was stronger than it appeared. Not surprisingly strong, but stronger than expected. Slowly following her inside, he glanced around, trying to find whatever it was he was here to see. Much to his annoyance, she didn't say anything to give him a hint, and simply walked over to the ladder climbing up it carefully until she reached what looked like a balcony on a small second story ledge. He eyed the ladder carefully, questioning if the thin, old wooden rods could even support his weight. Deciding not to test it, he jumped up, gripping the ledge and pulling himself up, then flipping backwards and landing perfectly a few feet from her, with a gentle thud.

"Showoff," he heard her mutter. All he could do in reply was shrug, not feeling the need to explain himself to her, of all people. If she wanted to assume he did that to show off, she could think it all she wanted.

"So whatdya bring me up here for?" He asked, impatience ringing clear in his voice. All she did was roll her eyes in response, making her way over to an opening that looked like a window needed to be in, but there was no glass, or frame. Sitting down, she let her legs hang over the edge, outside, gesturing for him to come over. She even sat all the way to the left to make sure he had enough room, simply because of how bulky he was. Luckily she was extremely small, so it made the efforts that much easier. It was his turn to offer a roll of his eyes, hesitantly making his way over to her. He'd seen the sky before, what was so special about this?

Once he had managed to slip in next to her, his legs hanging over the edge like hers were, he glanced her way. The moonlight was extremely bright tonight, perfectly illuminating her features, so now he finally got a chance for a good look at her. She had a rounder shaped face than most of the women he had seen, her cheeks slightly plump, like a small child. Her skin was pale, like the first snow in New York. There was a splash of light brown freckles across her small nose and cheeks. Her eyes were the strangest shade of gold, like a pure coin from the 1800s, almost glowing in the moonlight. Her hair was on the longer side, falling just past her chest, the bright red curls loose and bouncy, some going in different directions than others. She looked so innocent and, dare he admit it, cute. However, her nasty attitude countered that entirely.

"Why are you staring at me? You're supposed to be looking up."

He didn't realize he had even been staring in the first place. Shaking his head, he immediately lifted his gaze to the sky. Instantly, he realized what it was she was showing him. The sky was dark, like velvet dyed a beautiful navy blue, which was nothing new to him. However, there was one thing that was different. The stars. Millions of them lit up the night like sparkling diamonds, each having it's own twinkle pattern, each and everyone different from the rest.

"You said you grew up in the sewers of New York City, right?" Well, it had actually been Donnie that said that, but he didn't feel like correcting her.

"Yeah, why?" He asked, his gaze never leaving the twinkling glitter above him.

"Well, I figured that if you're in New York all the time, you probably haven't seen the stars like this before. It's much different. The city lights there mute their shine, but out here in the wide open spaces, nothing can stop their light from shining through. I wanted you to see them like I've gotten to almost every night since we got here. Well, I wanted someone to see them. You happened to be there.."

He finally tore his gaze away from the sky to look at her, noticing she looked very conflicted. Maybe from what she said? Or from showing him her spot to stargaze? Raphael was not the best at guessing why people felt or acted the way they do, that was something his brother's were better at than him. It was at that second that she shot to her feet, awkwardly dusting herself off.

"Well, I'm going to bed for the night. See you tomorrow."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Raphael even more confused than when she had brought him here. All in all, the girl was awkward, and strange, but after tonight's events, he was left with one simple thought.

 _Maybe she ain't so bad._

* * *

When Sarah finally arrived back to her temporary bedroom, she slammed the door behind her and let out the breath she had been holding in as she slid her back against the wall. That had gone a lot better than she planned, too well, in fact. She had allowed herself to become too _relaxed._ Relaxation was not an emotion she had allowed herself to feel in a long time. She was always tense, always ready to start or end a fight if the need arose to defend herself. Her heart was thundering in her chest with nerves, because she had allowed herself to be vulnerable. She was terrified to make friends for this very reason.

Attachment and vulnerability.

As she buried her face into her hands, one simple thought washed over her.

 _"I'm going to have to leave sooner than I thought."_

* * *

 _A/N: Hey guys! Wanna leave a review? That would be awesome._


	6. Chapter 6

_"Supposed to be happy, but I'm only getting colder._  
 _Wear a smile on my face, but there's a demon inside._  
 _There's a demon inside, just like Jekyll and Hyde."_

* * *

It had been a week since the turtles and the two other humans had arrived to the farm house, and Sarah was still unsure how she felt about the entire situation. Dealing with everyone was starting to become easier for her, She would study them, find out what irritates them, and keep from doing that.

In most cases.

There had been a handful of times that her and Raphael had clashed, their tempers being just as hot as the other. The pair would go from being civil and talking about something such as the weather, to screaming at one another, breaking whatever happened to be closest to them, throwing insults in forms of verbal assault. It had gotten to the point where the others began to take bets on who would win in their little spats. At first the brothers had leaned towards their brother, knowing from personal experience how resilient he could be when angered. However, what they didn't count on what meeting a small redhead with a spitfire attitude, and a temper that could well match his own. She carried an extremely short fuse, and her words would cut through like a snake striking it's prey. Quick, painful, effective. The venom would soak into the figurative wounds, causing more annoyance to the male later on.

"I had no part in it, I already told you this!" Sarah's voice was defensive, holding a hint of innocence. However, Raphael was having none of it.

"They were in YOUR room. You gonna tell me that they just walked off into ya room on their own?"

They were currently in the kitchen, the argument quickly escalating. It all started when Raphael awoke to his sais having disappeared. He threatened to turn the whole house upside down looking for them, and everyone just shrugged their shoulders, silently telling him to go for it. Sarah knew she wasn't guilty, so as she was making her coffee, she didn't much pay attention to the yelling and sounds of furniture being flipped over. However, it became impossible to ignore when the male came flying into the kitchen, rage lit up in his green eyes as he held his sais in one hand, gaze fixed on her.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're probably lying about this whole thing as an excuse to yell at me." So far, she was remaining cool. Her tone was quiet, yet icy. She was a snake, ready to strike when necessary. At the moment her back was to him, and she simply stared at the coffee pot, waiting on the black liquid to finish brewing. That was all she really cared about, was getting some caffeine and sugar into her system.

All she got in return to her accusation was a snort, followed by more words meant to set her off. It was a challenge now.

"Yeah, like I'd needa do that to start a fight with ya. I could bait ya with a piece of grass, if I really wanted to."

There it was, the familiar buzzing in her ears that always came before she would be ready to blow. She could, right now, if she really wanted to. Yet she took a deep breath, closing her eyes momentarily as she tried to remain composed. She wouldn't let him win. She wouldn't get angry.

"Oh? Is that so?" She glanced back, her golden eyes flashing at him. "If I recall, you're the one who started yelling at everyone for almost an hour because you lost at a game of Go-Fish."

There was a soft "ooooh" from the other room from who she could safely assume was Mikey, who would be keeping track of their points, to see who would win. Raphael's face showed confusion, then shock. It was a true accusation, and one he was definitely ashamed of, especially at this moment.

"Kay, well at least I don't whine like a little bitch when it gets dark."

Even if she had wanted to remain cool, she could no longer hold back the hot anger than now began to pulse through her veins. It had slowly crept up on her, and now happened to be hitting her full force, like a train, and there was no stopping her.

She spun, tossing the empty coffee mug at him, the thick piece of ceramic flying at full speed. His eyes went as wide as saucers as he ducked at the last possible second, the mug shattering against the wall, hundreds of little white pieces scattering across the kitchen floor. He stood back up, opening his mouth to say something, but he immediately shut it when he saw the dangerous look in her eyes. There was something entirely unsettling about that look, a look he had yet to see out of all the bickering they had yet to do.

"You don't know a fucking thing," she spat, her words dripping with deadly venom. "I dare you- I dare you to go through what I went through, and come out the same. I was locked in a pitch black room for over a _week_ , you piece of shit." There was much more to it than simply being locked away, but even in this level of anger she would not spill such information. She hated getting this mad- bad things tend to happen when she got this angry, but the rage was inside her, no matter how much she tried to fight it.

She stepped forward, poking him hard in the chest with her index finger as she stared at him. "You wouldn't understand. You grew up in the dark, remember? You never knew the light and wide open spaces like I did. Imagine having your freedom yanked from you, in the blink of an eye, and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop it. When you've been through that, let me lock you in a dark room and see how well your pathetic, sorry ass of a shell handles it."

With that, she turned and stormed out of the room, ignoring the crunching below her combat boots as she passed through the doorway. Everyone was in the living room, having heard the conversation, and they were all completely stunned. First, at the fact Raphael even dared to say what he said, and secondly, the fact she admitted part of the reason _why_ she was afraid of the dark. She would never tell the full truth, though. She could never let them know. They would look at her differently, like she was weak, and they would walk on eggshells around her, and she could never allow herself to stoop so low as to be babied.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, Raph?"

Leonardo was in utter shock with his brother, unable to comprehend how even he could stoop so low. He had seen Raphael throw someone's insecurities at them before, but only twice, and both times were at Leonardo himself, never at anyone else. Him believing the girl taking his sais must have set something off in him that he hadn't felt in a very long time. Even so, this was no excuse to Leonardo. Raphael looked troubled as he continued to stand in the kitchen, his eyes filled with confusion. He knew what he said was wrong, and he also couldn't believe that he said it. He felt guilt, an emotion he wasn't exactly accustomed to. Regardless of how mad he got, did he _really_ need to say that?

"Yeah dude, that was harsh. She didn't deserve that."

Raphael turned to their youngest brother, suddenly feeling a need to defend himself. "She took my sais!"

That's when an awkward look crossed Michelangelo's face, an expression that caused a light to go off in each older brother's head.

"Mikey.." Leo started, a warning in his tone. "Did you steal Raph's sais, and hide them in her room to start a fight between them?"

Mikey looked away, a bashful look on his face. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but the fact he wouldn't deny it admitted enough. The eldest brother closed his eyes for a second, his fingers gently pinching where the bridge of his nose would be. He let out a deep breath, opening his crystal blue eyes and staring directly at Mikey. "You're going to clean up this mess, now."

"What?! That's not-"

"Now, Michelangelo. I'll deal with you afterwards." Leonardo rarely used their full names, only when he was beyond agitated. Right now, he needed a moment to compose himself before he thought of what to punish Mikey with next. The orange masked turtle's face fell, but he knew better than to argue with their leader, especially when he was this upset. He walked away, going to find April so he could ask where the broom was. It wasn't until then that Leonardo turned to Raphael, a hard look in his eyes.

"Now, you go apologize to her." His tone wasn't as stern as it had been with Mikey, but it was hard, showing that he was by no means playing. His brother's green eyes widened a bit. "What? Why? This is Mikey's fault!"

"That's true," Leo replied, still keeping himself calm. "But Mikey didn't say that to her, you did. She was innocent, and you hit her with the one thing you knew about her that would hurt. You need to apologize."

* * *

Sarah went past the barn, not bothering to tell anyone where she was going. As far as she was concerned, it was none of their damn business. This was the exact reason she didn't bother to make friends, or open up to anyone. She slipped up in her anger, admitting part of the reason for her phobia of the dark. In any other circumstance, she would not have done that. She hated that red masked turtle, with every fiber of her being. Her fists clenched at her sides, and the more she thought about what he said, the more the hot rage burned inside her chest. It made it hard to focus on anything other than her inner thoughts and emotions. This was the type of rage that scared her, because it usually caused her to do thing's she would later regret. It had been years since she got this angry, and at the moment, she almost forgot how to handle it.

Her fist collided with the first tree she saw, the rough bark digging deep into her pale skin, leaving it a pink shade of inflammation. She didn't even notice the warm, crimson liquid oozing to the surface, slowly dripping down her fingers and to the forest floor as she continued deeper into the trees. A darkness surrounded her, but not one that anyone could visibly see. It was like a storm, a storm only she could see, darkening her vision and judgement. The only thing was, this caused her to miss the real storm coming her way. The sky was darkening, but she didn't look up, simply assuming it was from the tree top coverage. She just walked forward, punching any unsuspecting tree that happened to cross her path.

* * *

"What do you mean, you couldn't find her?"

"I mean exactly what I said! I looked everywhere, no sign of her. No idea where the hell she went."

The two eldest brothers just stared at each other, unsure of what to make of it. How could someone go missing on a virtually deserted, small farm?

"Wait, Sarah's missing?"

Both males turned to see Lorraine standing in the front doorway, staring at the two of them as they stood outside discussing the situation. The fact that now her best friend knew of her disappearance only made everything more difficult and complicated. They shifted on their feet uncomfortably, trying to think how they should reply, exactly.

"She's not missing," Leonardo began carefully. "She's just, uh.."

"Run off?"

They cringed at this, because it seemed likely at this point. Thunder gently sounded overhead as the green haired female came flying down the steps to them, her entire demeanor dripping with fury. She walked directly up to Raphael, hurt showing in her eyes. "Mikey told me what you said to her," she snapped quickly, pointing her finger at his chest. She was taller than Sarah, making the encounter a little less awkward for him than when the redhead yelled at him. "How could you? She hasn't even told me about it, and I haven't bothered to ask. Yet you throw it right up in her face over something she didn't even do?" Her voice was raising now, due to her anger and the rising wind. "When she storms off like that she doesn't know what the hell she's doing. The nearest down isn't for over thirty miles, she's been gone almost an hour, and there's a major fucking storm about to hit and none of us know where the fuck she is! You better go find her, you selfish piece of-"

"He can't."

Leonardo cut her off. He knew everything she said was correct, but there was one small factor that prevented Raphael, or any of them, from going after Sarah.

"Turtles are cold blooded. Going out in the rain with how much the temperature will drop would kill him. He will go once the storm subsides."

"What?!" Both Raphael and Lorraine exclaimed the word at the same time, but for two different reasons entirely.

"Why do I have to do that? Ain't my fault she decided to run off!"

"What about _her_ being in the storm? What if her temperature drops and it kills her?"

The blue masked leader held up both hands to silence them, signaling for them to let him finish before they got so defensive. "Looking for her in this weather wouldn't do us much good, it would be almost impossible to see," he started off simply, glancing at Raphael. "The second the storm is over, we'll _all_ look for her. For now, we just have to hope she somehow finds shelter until we can get to her. I'm sorry about your friend, but I'm not risking my brother's life so she doesn't get sick."

* * *

 _A/N: Leave a review?_


	7. UPDATE

Hey guys, author here! I know it's been forever since I posted, and I wanted to apologize. A lot has happened the last year. From me moving out of my parents house, to getting kicked out of my best friends house due to her getting a boyfriend (that's who Lorraine is based off of.) To me getting a boyfriend, struggling to get a well paying job, to moving in with said boyfriend. It's been a struggle, it still is, but I'm making it. I'm going back to writing, but I want to start this story over. I don't particularly like the way I approached this one. I will be using the same characters, and such. Just coming at it from a different angle. I've also adjusted Sarah's character quite a bit. Keep watch for a different story, it'll be coming sometime in the near future!


End file.
